The Sheldon Museum of Art announced today that internationally renowned architect Zaha Hadid will be designing its expansion project. I had heard through the local art grapevine that Hadid was on the short list to design the new Sheldon building, which will be located in Lincoln’s Haymarket district at 9th and S streets. Today that rumor became official.

The Lincoln Journal Star reported today that architects from Hadid’s London-based firm will be in Lincoln tomorrow to show the initial design to University of Nebraska-Lincoln officials, including Sheldon Director J. Daniel Veneciano. We won’t see the final design until early 2010, and the big reveal also depends on Sheldon’s fund raising efforts; the project is to be entirely paid for by private donations.

Veneciano, who told the Journal Star he’d seen preliminary designs for the museum, described it as embracing both futuristic and pioneer styles of architecture.

The final building will be four floors and will join two other UNL campus museums designed by famous architects: the Philip Johnson-designed Sheldon and the Robert Stern-designed International Quilt Study Center.

The original budget for the project, which won’ t be complete before late 2011, was $12.5 million, the cost to retrofit the old warehouse building now located on the site. With Hadid on board, the budget will likely grow.

Hadid has a history designing contemporary art museums. Check out this blog to learn more about her design approach and architectural aesthetic.